Outsole-stitching machine



Jan. 80, 1928. 1,443,724.

c. c BLAKE.

OUTSOLE STI TCHING MACHINE.

FILED JUNE 8,1917. 5 SHEETS -SHEET1- Fig 1 m4 X5 m W C. C. BLAKE.

' OUTSOLE STITCHING MACHINE.

Jan. 30, 1923.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FILED JUNE 8. I917.

512: Tm? H mm lllllll IHI :IIIIIIIII Jan. 30, 1923.

C. C. BLAKE.

OUTSOLE smcume MACHINE.

HLED JUNE 8. 1917.

Fig 3 5 SHEETS SHEET 3- Jan. 30,1923. 1,443,724.

' C- C- BLAKE- OUTSQLE STITCHING MACHNE.

FILED JUNE 8,1917- 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Jan. 30, 1923; 1,443,724.

C. C. BLAKE.

OUTSOLE STITCHING MACHINE. I

FILED JUNE 8,-1917. 5'SHEETSSHEET Fig 9 Patented Jan. 30, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES C. BLAKE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO C. C. BLAKE,

INCORPORATED, OF BOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

OUTSOLE-STITCHING MACHINE.

Application filed June 3,

Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Masachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in outsole-Stitching Machines, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicatinglike parts in the several figures.

his invention relates to sewing machines and is particularly concernedwith the class of sewing machines used in the manufacture of boots andshoes to secure the outsole to the Welt and known in this trade asoutsole 'stitchers.

The crease between the welt and upper of a modern welt shoe is verynarrow at certain parts of the shoe, particularly in the shank, 'whichusually is deeply cut in along the illsid e.- The fact that this creaseis so narrow places very serious limitations on the dimensions of thesewing instrumentalities that must operate in this space, and for thisreason the use of curved awls and needles has 7 been regarded asabsolutely essential in any 7 practical form of outsole stitchingmachine, since a curved awl or needle obviously can pierce the welt at apoint closer to the upper in a narrow crease, without danger of damagingthe upper, than can a, straight awl or needle. At the same time thedisadvantages of curved awls and needles, such, for instance, astheincreased cost in manufacture and the greater liability to bend orspring during operation, are well understood .by those skilled in thisart. But no feasible way of avoiding their use and still producing theresults required in modern shoe making has heretofore been found, so faras I am aware. To solve this problem and to produce a straight needleoutsole stitching machine, which will operate satisfactorily to stitchthe outsole to the welt of. a modern shoe, constitutes the chief objectof the pres ent invention.

To the accomplishment of this object and other objects which willhereinafter appear, the invention involves particularly a novelorganization of sewing machine, a throat piece and looper constructionof novel form designed to work in the narrow-welt crease of a shoe, andit also includes features which, while of particular general 1917.Serial No. 173,488.

value in a straight needle type of sewing machine, may'also be used toadvantage in sewing machines of other types.

The various features of the present invention will be best understoodfrom an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating oneembodiment of the invention, in which, 1

Fig. 1 is a left side elevation of an outsole stitching machineconstructed in accordance with this invention," I

Fig. 2 is a View in right side the stitching machine head;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line a-a, Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is aview in machine head;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing certain details of constructionofthe needle and awl operating mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a right side elevation of the looper and thread finger and theoperating elevation of front elevation of the mechanisms for them;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in horizontal cross section, showingthelooper and thread finger;

Figs. 7 and 8 are views in right side elevation showing different stepsin the stitch forming operation;

. Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 6 showing the looper and threadfinger in different poiitions from those in which they appear in Fig. 10is an angular view of the looper and thread finger;

Fig. 11 is an angular view showing the manner in which the loop throwerta-kes'a loop of needle thread from the needle; and ig. 12 is a verticalcross sectional view through the throat piece.

The machine shown comprises a throat piece or work table 2, an awl 3 anda needle 4. Thethroat piece, as clearly'shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is verythin and has a flat upper face designed to support the welt of a shoe init invertedposition and an inclined lower face which extends backwardlyat an acute angle to the upper face, so that the throat piece can entera relatively narrow crease between the welt and upper of a shoe. A holeor passage for the awl 3 and, the needle 4 is formed in the upper wallof the throat piece 2 and this member is made hollow to form a guarddesigned to protect the upper of-the shoe from contact with the needleand awl and also from engagement with a looper 5 which presents thethread to the needle.

A clearly shown in thejdrawings, astraight awl and a straight hookneedle are employed. These devices are mounted to reciprocate inparallel paths toward and from the throat piece 2 and for this purposethey are supported, respectively, by an awl bar 6 and a needle bar 7.These bars are lidably mounted side by side in a yokelike frame 8 (Figs.1 to 4) which is mounted to swing on a horizontal rock shaft 9 supportedin suitable bearings formed in the frame 10 of the machine. The awl baris reciprocated by connections with the forward end of an arm 12 (Fig.2) fast on a rock shaft 13 to which also is fixed another arm 11carrying a roll 14 (Fig. 2) running in acam path 15 formed in the endface of a cam 16 (Fig. 1) mounted fast on a cam shaft 17. Theconnections between the forward arm of the lever 12 and the awl bar 6include a pin 18 (Fig. 2) carried by the lever arm and a block 19 whichrocks freely on the pin 18 and works in a short slot formed transverselyin the awl bar 6, so that it takes up idly the short transversecomponent of movement of the lever 12 and also permits the awl bar toswing lightly forward or backward. The needle bar 7 is similarlyoperated by connections with a cam 20 Fig. 3) on the shaft 17, theseconnections including an arm 21 (Fig. 2) carrying a roll 23 which runsin a cam path 24 formedin the end face of the cam-20, this am beingfixed to a rock shaft 13 which is coaxial with the shaft 13. This shaft13 ha an arm 22 fixed thereto and projecting forward therefrom to whichthe needle bar is connected.

It will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 2 and 4 that the awl ismounted directly in front of the needle. It, therefore, is necessary toeffect shifting movements of the awl and needle toward and from thefront of the machine in order to bring the awl or needle,

as desired, into alignment with the needle hole in the throat plate; andit is for this purpose that the yoke-shaped frame 8 is mounted to swingon the axis 9, as above described. For the purpose of producing thisshifting movement at the proper point in the cycle of operations of themachine, the awl bar 6 carries on its left hand side, as seen from thefront of the machine, a cam roll 26 (Fig. 4) which runs in a stationarycam path 27 formedin a part of the machine frame 10. The parts are shownin Fig. 2 with the aWl 3 in alinement with the needle hole in the throatplate, but it will be evident that, as soon as the awl bar 6 is movedupwardly, the roll 26 travelling in the cam path 27 will swing the frame8 about the axis 9 in a clockwise direction far enough to move theneedle 4 into and the awl 3 out of alinement with the needle hole in thethroat plate.

In the machine hown, the feeding movement of the work is not effected bythe awl, as it is in most stitchers, but the shoe is supported on a jack.and a power driven mechanism is provided which operates through thejack to give the shoe tep by step feeding movements past the sewinginstrumentalities from right to left, when viewed from a position infront of, the machine. The awl and needle shifting movements thereforetake place in a direction transverse to the direction of the feedingmovements of the work. Since these shifting movements are produced bythe movement of the frame 8, in which the awl and needle bars areslidably mounted, they do not affect the connec tions between the awland needle and their operating mechanisms.

It will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the needle and awlin-this machine do not operate at the usual angle to the welt supportingface of the throat plate but that they are tipped forward with referenceto a line perpendicular to the welt-engaging face of the throat piecetowards a position parallel with the lower face of the throat piece, sothat when they are operating on a shoe' they form an acute angle withthe main part of the tread face of the shoe sole. This angularrelationship is of particular advantage in a machine of this type sinceit brings the needle into a position nearly parallel withthe part of theupper adjacent to the point of operation of the needle on the shoe, andthus enables the machine to sew closer tothe bottom of the welt creasethan it could otherwise and materially facilitates the operation of astraight needle machine in the shank portion of a shoe.

The thread is presented to the needle 4 by a looper 5, constructed asbest shown in Fig. 10 and mounted to move to and fro toward and from aposition close to the end of the throat piece 2. A guideway for thelooper 5 is formed in the throat piece and for this purpose the throatpiece is made in two parts, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the upperpart A. being secured by a screw 28 to a part of the frame and the lowerpart B being secured to the part A by screws 29. The needle hole C isformed in the upper member A of the throat piece and the guideway forthe looper is formed in the lower face of the member A. This looperconsists of a very thinflat strip of metal projecting from or secured toa slide 30 mounted in suitable ways and having a pin 31 projectinglaterally from the one side thereof and entering a slot formed in thelower end of one arm of a bell crank lever 32, Fig. 5. The other arm ofthis lever carries a roll 33 running in a cam path 34 formed in one endof the cam 16.

pot or 0th I thread measuring device,

The needle thread T is led from the wax er source of supply through aindicated "in general at 35 and which may be of any suitable form, overa stationary guide roll 36 and a take up roll 37 into the guidewayformed in the throat piece, passing along beside the looper 5 to theneedle hole C. Means are provided to stretch the needle thread acrossthe guideway in front of the looper while the looper is at the rearwardpart of its stroke so that when the looper moves forward it will form aloop or bight in the needle thread and carry this-bi ht of threadforward to the needle hole C. For this purpose, a thread finger, whichconsists of a pin 38, is mounted-on an oscillating arm 39 and projectsthrough a slot 39 formed in the upper wall A of the throat piececoncentrically with the axis of oscillation of the arm. The arm 39 ismounted fast on the lower end of an upright shaft {10 Fig. 2 whichcarries at its upper end a pinion 41 meshing with a rack formed in a camfollower 42 which is arrangedto reciprocate on suitable guides andcarries a roll 43 runnin in a cam. path formed in the end face of thecam 20.- When this mechanism swings the thread finger 39 from theposition in which it appears in Fig. 6 to that in which it is shown inFig. 9, it carries the needle thread across the forward end of thelooper 5. The thread finger pauses when it has completed this operationwhile the looper moves forward. As above stated, the looper is verythin, preferably only slightly greater in thickness than the diameter ofthe needle thread, and it fits snugly between the upper and lowerwalls-of the guideway in which it moves. Consequently, it pushes thethread ahead of it, without any danger of pinch-ing or binding thethread, until it arrives at the needle hole C. The forward end of thelooper is notched to straddle the path of movement of the needle 4 anditis grooved transversely, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, to enable itbetter to engage the thread. the hole C, it grasps the bight of threadpositioned in this manner by the looper. Figs. 9 and 10 show the looperat this time. It will be noted from inspection of these figures that theengagement of the thread finger 38 with the needle thread while thelooper moves forward causes the thread finger to form a loop of needlethread between the work and the point of engagement of the needle withthe thread. This loop or bight of thread is of suflicient length to formone leg of the loop of thread that the needle will pull through the workand which is later thrown over the shuttle. The formation of this loopbetween the. work and the point of engagement of the needle with thethread prevents the thread from rendering through When the needle 4descends into the hook of the needle while the stitch is being formed.

It is necessary to have the thread finger release the loop which it hasthus formed immediately after the thread is grasped by the needle, andfor this purpose the shaft 40, the arm 39 and the thread finger 38 areall lifted far enough to raise the lower end of the thread finger out ofengagement with the thread. This operation is performed by a bell cranklever 44, one arm of which has a pivotal connection with the shaft 40near its lower end, and the other arm of which carries a roll 45 runningin a cam path formed in one end of the cam 16. The timing of the.means'that effect the lifting and swinging movements of the threadfinger 38 preferably is such that the arm is swung back to the positionin which it appears in Fig. 6 while it is raised and the thread finger'is out ofthe guideway in which the looper works. The thread finger isthen dropped into its normal or operative position so that it will sweepthrough the guideway uponits next forward stroke.

The throat and looper construction is regarded as an especiallyimportant'feature of this invention. It will be seen from an inspectionof Fig. 12, which shows this construction on a large scale, that thearrangement above described reduces the dimensions of the throat piecein the region of the needle hole to a minimum. This constructionrequires a single upper Wall of metal, which may be relatively thin, aguideway which need be only approximately equal in the diameter of thethread, anda lower wall B which need be only thick enough to forma--shieldfor-the" looper and needle. Preferably this lower part B isthickness to provide a remade of sufficient cess init to receive thepoint of the needle below the hook, as clearly shown in Fig. 12,although this recess may extend entirely through the part B if desired.In the thinnest of the looper proposed to accomplish this object. it hasbeen considered essential to employ an eye at the forward end of thelooper to guide the thread, which made it necessary to have twoadditional thicknesses of metal, one above and another below the thread.The construction above described avoids the necessity for these twoadditional thicknesses of metal. In other words the parts that deliverthe thread to the hook of the needle occupy a space the dimensions ofwhich in the direction of the width of the welt crease at the point ofdelivery are only about equal to the diameter of the needle thread andconsequently the dimensions of the part of the throat piece that mustenter the welt crease are so reduced that the machine can operatesatisfactorily in very narrow creases.

The angle at which the needle enters the 1 1 0 constructions heretoforethroat piece also is regarded as important.

It will be evident from an inspection of- Figs. 7 and 12 that if theupper end of the needle were swung backwardly into a positionat'substantially right angles to the the welt crease as the machine doesin the construction shown, a throat piece of somewhat greater thicknessin the region of the needle hole would be required in order to protectthe shoe upper from engagement with the point of the needle.

When the needle 4 has grasped the loop of needle thread presented to itby the looper 5, it pulls this loop through the work into substantiallythe position shown in full lines in Fig. 8, and a loop thrower 50 thentakes the loop from the needle and throws it over a stationary shuttle51 travelling from the position in which it appears in full lines inFig. 8 to that in which it is shown in dotted lines in said figure. Fig.11 shows the loop thrower in the act of taking the loop from the needle.This loop thrower comprises an arm shaped at itsforward end to catch theloop of needle thread and it is mounted on a short shaft to which isfixed a pinion 52 (Fig. 2) that meshes with a segment formed on an arm53 fast on a rock shaft to which is fixed another arm 54 carrying a roll55 which runs in a cam path formed in the outer end face of the cam 68.The loop thrower swings somewhat more than half way over the shuttle sothat the take up mechanism, which operates on the thread immediatelyafter the action of the loop thrower, completes the pulling of the looparound the shuttle.

A shuttle brake 57 (Fig. 2) is provided which consists of a bell cranklever 58 one arm of which carries the brake 57 and the other arm ofwhich is toothed to engage a segment 59 that is secured to the rockingframe 8. These connections operate, when the frame 8 is swung forward tomove the needle 4 into line with the needle hole, in the throat plate,to release the brake 57 and leave the shuttle free, and to set the brakeand lock the shuttle again when the needle has swung back and the awlhas moved into alignment with the needle hole.

The shuttle 51 is held in its operative position by a removable plate 56(Figs. 7 and 8) this plate being provided with lugs that bear againstone side of the shuttle. Similar lugs, one of which is shown at 56(Figs. 2 and 4) bear against the opposite side of the shuttle. theshuttle rather loosely so as to allow a loop of needle thread to slipover it freely,

These lugs, of course, hold but when the brake 57 is swung downwardlyagainst the upper edge of the shuttle it pushes the shuttle back awayfrom the lugs and locks the shuttle against the limited movement whichit can have at other times. The brake therefore performs both thefunctionof holding the shuttle locked against movement while the stitchis being set and also that of preventing the shuttle from becomingwedged between the lugs which-action, if it occurred. would interferewith the throwing of the. loop of the needle thread over the shuttle.That is, the moving of the shuttle backwardly by the brake betweensuccessive stitch setting operations frees the shuttle from contact withthe lugs.

The take up mechanism comprises a bell crank leverfulcrumed at 60 (Fig.2) and having an arm 61, on the end of which the take u roll 37 ismounted, and another arm 62 which is connected by a link 63 with one arm64 of another bell crank lever fulcrumed at 65 and carrying a roll 66which runs in a cam path 67 formed in the inner end of a cam 68 fast onthe shaft 17. The bell crank lever arm 64 and the link 63 constitute atoggle, and the cam path 67 is so designed that in'producing the take upmotion it straightens the toggle quickly, and

thus produces the quick backward movement of the roll 37 which isdesired for the purpose of taking up the slack thread, and it thenbreaks the toggle slightly in a reverse direction from that in. which itwas broken for the pur ose of giving the take up roll 37 its forwarmovement, and thus releases slightly the tension of the roll 37 on thethread. This take up mechanism thus gives the thread the quick snapnecessary to'oompletely take up the slack and set the stitch firmly, andthe slight breaking of the tog-. gle thereafter releases the tension onthe thread while the work feeding movement takes place. Theneedle holein the throat piece is made as small as practicable so that it willsupport the welt close to the needle hole made in the work, and willprevent the thread-from pulling sidewise on the welt during the take upaction. If it were not for the support thus given to the welt by thethroat piece and the fact that it guides the thread during the take upaction directly along the line of the needle hole formed in the work,the thread would tend to 'cut the welt and make a. larger hole in it.

It is, of course, desirable to clamp the work firmly against the throatpiece 2 while the stitch is being formed and for this purpose a presserfoot is employed which consists of a roll 70 rotatably supported on aslide 71 mounted to move up and down in a guide way formed for it in thestationary frame 10. A spring 72 acts on the slide 71 to depress it andhold the roll 7 0 yieldingly in engagement with the work; and a bellcrank lever 73, pivoted on the upper part of forms the subject matter ofpending applithe frame 10, is arranged to engage a collar cation SerialN 0. 171,343, filed May 28, 1917, 7 4 adjustably secured on the rod 71for the (reference to which is made by permission). purpose of raisingthe roll entirely clear In operating the machine the shoe is of thework. The spring 72 is strong placed on the jack of the work support and70 enough to cause the roll 70 to follow varlathe jack is rought intoco-operative relations in the thickness of the work but does tions'hipto the work feeding mechanism in not maintain the pressure on thepresser the manner fully described in my co-pendfoot which is requiredto lock it while the ing application No. 113,722, above desigstitch isbeing made. For the purpose of nated. The treadle 92 is depressedtobring 75 producing the latter result, a short shaft 76 the surface ofthe welt that normally is Figs. 1 and 2) is mounted adjacent to theuppermost, but which during this operation forward edge of the slide 71and has fixed to is in an inverted position, into engagement it aclamping bar 77 which bears against the with the upper face of thethroat piece 2 front face of the slide. An arm 78 fixed to and the lever73 is swung by hand out of 80 the rock shaft 76 carries a roll 79 whichruns engagement with the collar 74, thus allowin contact with a cam faceformed on the ing the spring 72 to depress the presser foot periphery ofthe cam '16. This cam is de- 70. This device operates thereafter to holdsigned to swing the roll 79 in a contra- .the shoe against the throatpiece 2. After clockwise direction about the axis of the the parts havebeen properly positioned for .85 rock shaft 7 Sand thus to crowd themember the initiation of the stitching operation, the 77 hard againstthe slide 71 and lock the treadle 83 is operated to start the machine.presser foot against upward movement Normally the awl 3 is in alinementwith while the stitch is being made. the needle hole in the throat plate2 and The machine may be operated by any the take up roll 37 and thelooper 5 are in convenient source of power but, as shown, it theirrearward positions. The awl 3 first is equipped with a motor 82 (Fig. 1)and a descends to the lower limit of'its stroke, thus starting andstopping mechanism of the piercing the work. It is next raised to thecharacter disclosed in my co-pending appliupper limit of its stroke andduring this cation Serial N 0. 113,722, filed Aug. 8, 1916, movement theroll 26, operating in the cam controlled by the treadle 83. Power ispath 27 shifts the frame 8 forward thus transmitted through thismechanismto the bringing the needle 4 into alinement with verticaldriving shaft 84. The upper end of the needle hole. During this movementalso this shaft carries a spiral gear meshing with the thread finger 38moves forward across another spiral gear fast on the shaft 17, the pathof movement of the looper, and the both of these gears being housed in acaslooper 5 and the take up roll 37 both start ing 85. Speed changinggears, mounted in forward. Fig. 7 shows substantially the relthe housing86 and controlled by the lever ative positions of the parts at thistime. 87,'are driven from the shaft 84 and drive The needle 4 and thelooper 5 next advance the shaft 88 through the mechanicalmovesimultaneously toward the needle hole in the ment described in myco-pending applicathroat plece and during the advancing tion Serial-No.786,909, filed Aug. 27, 1913, movement of the looper the thread finger38 which operates the work supporting and holds the needle thread inposition to be feeding mechanism indicated in general at ngag d andcarried fo ward y the nd 90. This mechanism is of the character of thelooper. The looper arrives at the shown and described in my co-pendingapforward limit of its stroke slightly before plication No. 113,722.above designated and the needle reaches the downward limit of its itoperates to feed a shoe longitudinally movement, so that when the needleadvances past the awl and needle and to swing the into the notch in theend of the looper, the shoe relatively to the awl and needle to looperis holdingthe needle thread stretched maintain the curved edge of thework in the across the path of movement of the needle. line of feed.Connections between the work The needle grasps the thread, as shown insupport and a treadle 92 enable the work- Figs. 10 and 12 and then risesquickly, man to present the shoe at the proper elevacarrying a loop ofthread through the work tion for the operation of the stitchinginstruand into substantially the position in which mentalities. tappears in full lines in Fig. 8. The The machine shown also is equippedwith loop thrower 50 is next swung upwardly and a thread measuringmechanism which is enters the loop held by the needle, as clearlyconstructed and arranged to draw from the shown in Fig. 11, and removesthis loop thread supply at each cycle of operations of from the needleand carries it over the shutthe machine the quantity of thread requiredtle 51, moving substantially to the position for the next stltoh, thisquantity being in which it is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. measuredautomatically in accordance with The take up lever 61 is thenimmediately variation in the thickness of the work and swung backward,thus completing the operathe length of the stitch. This mechanism tionof pulling the loop around the shuttle 51 and also acting to take up theslack thread and set the stitch. The loop thrower 5O retires quickly andthe awl bar is immediately depressed far enough to shift the yoke 8backwardly andthus acts through the segments 59 and 58 and the shuttlebrake 57 to lock the shuttle before the setting of the stitch iscompleted,

As above indicated, the presser foot is locked in its depressed positionby means of the cam 16 and the parts 79. 78 and 77 while the stitch isbeing formed. As soon,

however, as the stitch has been completed, the presser foot is releasedand the workfeeding mechanism 90 then operates to advance the work onestep, and pauses, leaving the shoe in position for the formation of thenext stitch. This cycle of operations is repeated until the stitching ofthe shoe has been completed and the machine is stopped by the workman.

In case the thread is broken behind the throat plate it can be veryconveniently threaded by inserting the thread in the slot in which thelooper works and running it forward beside the looper to the needle holeC, or the hook may be lnserted through the hole 94, Fig. 6, and engagedwith the thread to pull the thread through this hole. In either eventthe movement of the thread finger 38 will carry the thread into positionto be engaged by' the looper and carried forward and presented to theneedle so that the machine will automatically complete the threadingoperation.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in connectionwith a straight needle stitching machine it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that many features of the invention are applicable toother types of sewing machines. It will also be evident that the timingand construction of certain of the parts and mechanisms may be variouslymodified without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventon; forin stance. the relative movements of the looper and needlemay be sotimed that the needle will reach the downward limit of its movementbefore the looper arives at the forward limit of its stroke. so that thelooper will press the bight of thread against the shank of the needleimmediately abor e the hook while the hook is at its lowermost positionand thus cause the hook to engage the bight of thread immediately afterthe needle begins its upward stroke.

It will be clear to those skilled in this class of machines, and withthe general object of the present invention in view. that the particularform of stitching mechanism employed is not essential and that changesmay be made in the details of construction, the described andillustrated embodiment thereof being intended as an exploitation of itsunderlying essentials, the features whereof are definitely stated intheir true scope in the claims herewith appended.

What is claimed as new, is: p x

1. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination of a throat pieceprovided with a needle passage and having a guideway leading backwardfrom said passage and across which the needle thread is guided, a hookneedle mounted to move into and out of said passage, and a devicemounted for movement backward and forward in said guideway and operativeto push a bight of said needle thread forward to said passage andposition it for the engagement therewith of said needle.

2. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat pieceprovide with aneedle passage and having a guideway leading backwardlyfrom said passage, of a looper movable backwardand forward in saidguideway, said looper having a forward thread engaging portionsubstantially equal in thickness to the diameter of the needle threadand fitting snugly between the upper and lower walls of said passage,and means for guiding a thread across the path of movement of saidlooper in the guideway whereby the looper is operative to form a bightin said thread at the rearward part of its stroke and to carry saidbight of thread forward to said needle passage.

3. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat pieceprovided with a needle passage and having a guideway leading backwardlyfrom said passage, of a looper movable backward and forward in saidguideway, from a rearward thread receiving position to a forward threaddelivering position, and thread guiding means co-operating with saidlooper to position the needle thread for the engagement therewith ofsaid looper, said throat piece and looper being constructed and arrangedto maintain the portion of the thread delivered by the looper insubstantially the same plane during the entire thread deliveringmovement of the looper. I

4. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat pieceshaped to enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoe, saidthroat piece being provided with a needle passage. of a hook needlemounted to reciprocate into and out of said passage, and means forpresenting the needle thread to the hook of the needle while it is insaid passage, said means being construct-= ed and arranged to maintainthe thread adjacent to the initial point of engagement therewith of saidneedle between planes separated only by substantially the diameter ofthe thread and extending approximately parallel to the direction of thefeeding movement of the work past the needle.

- 5. An outsole stitching machine, having, in combination, a needle, andmeans for de- .movement of said looper and transversely across said notclivering a bight of thread to the needle operating .to maintain thelegsof the bight in a plane )arallel to and below the plane of the exposedface of the Welt.

n outsole stitching machine, having, in combination, a needle and meansfor forming two bights in the thread and delivering one bight to theneedle. said means being operated to maintain the legs of said bightsapproximately in a plane extending substantially in the direction of thefeeding movement of the work past the needle.

7. An outsole stitching machine, having, in combination, a needle, meansfor receiving the thread and drawing the thread out into a bight anddelivering the .bight to the needle, and means for maintaining the legsof the bight extended from the receiving point to the delivery pointsubstantially in a plane extendingapproximately parallel to h thedirection of the feeding movement of the work pastthe needle.

8. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat piececonstructed to enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoe andhaving a needle passage formed in the welt supporting part of saidthroatpiece, of a hook needle mounted to reciprocate into and out of saidpassage, a looper mounted to move to and fro in said throat piece towardand from said passage, the forward end of said looper being notched tostraddle the path of movement of the needle and being groovedtransversely to hold a thread stretched across said notch, a threadfinger movable across the path of operative to guide the thread into thegrooved end of the looper, and operating mechanism for said needle,looper and thread finger.

9. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat piececonstructed to .enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoeand having a needle passa e formed in the welt supporting part of saidthroat piece, of a hook needle mounted to reciprocate into and out ofsaid passage, a relatively thin looper mounted to reciprocate in saidthroat piece toward and from said passage, the forward end of saidlooper being notched to straddle the needle passage and having a threadreceiving roove formed ed end, said throat piece being constructed toguide the needle thread into a position beside said looper, a threadfinger operative to move said thread across the path of movement of thelooper to position it in said groove, and operating mechanism for saidneedle, looper and thread finger.

10. In an outsole stitching machine, a throat piece shaped to enter thecrease be tween the welt and upper of a shoe and having a welt engagingface and an upper engaging face, said welt engaging part having a needlehole formed therein near its forward end, a guideway formed in. saidthroat piece between said faces, and a looper mounted to reciprocate insaid guldeway and having its forward end shaped to present a threadacross said needle passage, said forward end portion of the looper beingof a thickness substantially equal to the diameter of the thread.

11. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination of a throat toenter the welt crease of a shoe and having a needle passage formedtherein near its forward end, a straight hook needle mounted to moveinto and out of said passage in a path inclined toward a positionparallel to the part of the upper of a shoe adjacent to of said'needle,a guideway' formed in said t roat piece and extending backwardly fromsaid needle to and fro in said to present a loop needle. 12. An outsolestitching machine, having, in combination, a throat plate constructed toenter the welt crease of a shoe, a straight hook needle mounted toreciprocate through. said plate, a looper movable to and fro at guidewayand operative of needle thread to said the opposite side of said platefrom the needle and operative to present a'loop of thread for theengagement therewith of "said needle, a stationary shuttle on thesameside of said plate .as the needle, an oscillating loop. thrower arrangedto take a loop of thread from said needle and throw it over saidshuttle, and'operating means for'sa'id needle, looper and loop thrower.

13.'An outsole stitching machine, in combination, a throat plateconstructed to enter the welt crease of a shoe, a straight hook needlemounted to reciprocate through said plate, a looper movable to and froat having,

the opposite side of said plate from theneedle and operative to presenta 'loop of thread for the engagement therewith of said needle, astationary shuttle on the same side piece constructed 4 assa e and a looer movablev p h the point of operation thereon of said plate as theneedle,', an oscillating loop thrower arranged "to take a loop of threadfrom said needle and throw it over said shuttle, a straight awl mountedon the same side of said plate as the needle, and operating means forsaid needle, awl, loop er and loop thrower.

l4. An'outsole stitching machine, having,

in combination, a throat plate, a straight hook needle mounted toreciprocate through said plate, a looper movable to and fro at theopposite side of said plate from the needle and operatlve to present aloop of thread for the engagement therewith of said needle, a stationaryshuttle on the same side of said plate as the needle, an oscilllatingloop thrower arranged to take a loop of thread from said needle andthrow &

over it, and operating means for said needle,

looper and loop thrower.

15. An outsole stitching machine, having, in. combination, a throatplate constructed to enter the welt crease of a shoe, a straight hookneedle mounted to reciprocate through said-plate, a looper movable toand fro at the opposite side of said plate from the needle and operativeto present a loop of thread for the engagement therewith of said needle,a stationary shuttle on the same side of said plate as the needle, aloop throwing arm mounted for movement about an axis and constructed totake a loop of thread from said needle and throw it over said shuttle,and operating means for said needle, looper and loop thrower.

16. A stitching machine, having, in combination, an awl and a needleboth-mounted on the same side of the work for movement into and out ofthe work, and means for moving said awl and needle substantially in acommon plane into and out of the same path of movement.

17. A stitching machine, having, in combination, an awl and a needleboth mounted on the same side of the work for movement into and out ofthe work, mechanism for reciprocating said awl and needle and means forrelatively moving said awl and needle in a plane extending transverselyof the direction of feed of the work to causexthe needle to enter thehole formed in the work by the awl.

. 18. A stitching machine, having, in combination. a throat plate havinga needle hole formed therein, an awl and a needle'both mounted on thesame side of the work for movement into and out of the work, and meansfor moving said awl and needle additionally in a plane extendingtransversely of the direction of feed of the work into and out of linewith the needle hole in said throat plate.

19. A stitching machine, having, in combination, a throat plate having aneedle hole formed therein, a frame movable transversely of thedirection of feed of the work past said plate, awl and needle barsmounted 'in said frame for movement toward and from said plate inparallel paths lying in the plane of said transverse movement, and meansfor moving said frame to bring said paths alternately into line withsaid needle hole.

20. A stitching machine, having, in com bination, a throat plate havinga needle hole formed therein, a frame movable transversely of thedirection of feed of the work past said plate, awl and needle barsmounted in said frame for movement toward and from said plate inparallel paths lying in the plane of said transverse movement. mechanismfor reciprocating said awl and needle in said paths, and means forutilizing said reciprocating movement to move said frame to bring saidpaths alternately into line with said needle hole.

21. A stitching machine, having, in combination, an awl and a needleboth mounted on the same side of the work and movable into and out ofthe work, mechanism independent of said awl and needle for feeding thework step by step, and means for shifting said awl and needle in a planetransverse to the direction of feed of the work between each step ofsaid feeding movements.

22. A stitching machine, having, in combination, an awl and a needleboth mounted on the same side of the work and movable into and out ofthe work, operating mechanism for said awl and needle, and means forshifting. said awl and needle transversely to the direction of feed ofthe work while maintaining undisturbed the operative relationship ofsaid awl and needle to their operating mechanism.

23. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with an'angularthroat piece having a needle hole therein and having an upperface designed to support the welt of a shoe and a lower face extendingbackwardly at an acute angle to the upper face, of a straight hookneedle mounted to reciprocate through said needle hole in a path tippedwith reference to a line perpendicw lar to said upper face in adirection toward a position parallel with said lower face.

24:. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throatpiece shaped to enter the crease between the upper and welt of a shoe,said throat piece having a needle hole therein and having an upper facedesigned to support the welt of a shoe, of a straight hook needlemounted to reciprocate through said needle hole in a path tipped withreference to a line perpendicular to said upper face in a directiontoward a position parallel to the part of the upper of a shoe adjacentto the point of operation thereon of said needle, and mechanismincluding a shuttle mounted upon the same side of the work as saidneedle and cooperating with the needle to form a lock stitch in thework.

25. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with an angularthroat piece having a needle hole therein and having an upper facedesigned to support the welt of a shoe and a lower face extendingbackwardly at an acute angle to the upper face, of a straight hookneedle mounted to reciprocate through said needle hole in a path tippedwith reference to a line perpendicustraight hook needle relation of saidplate throwing the a position parallel to the lar to said upper face ina direction toward of a shoe adjacent to the thereon of said needle, anda straight awl mounted on the same side of the throat piece as saidneedle to reciprocate into and out of 'dl said needle hole. i o

26. In an outsole stitching machine,- the combination with a throatpiece shaped to enter the crease between the upper and welt of ashoe,-saidthroat piece havmg a needle surface designed to support thewelt of a shoe, of a straight hook needle mounted to reciprocate throughsaid nee le, holegreater than a right-angle with relation to the portionof the welt enga'ging face of' said throat piece lying immediately backof said needle hole.-

27. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination with a throat piecehavin a needle hole therein and having a su ace designed to support thewelt of a shoe, of a mounted to reciprocate through said needleholeat-an angle substantially to the face of saidth back of said needlehole,and .arranged to I said needle whileit is in said needle hole, astationary shuttle mounted on the same side as said needle, and meansfor loop of needle-thread over said portion of the welt-engaging alooper constructed shuttle.

28. A stitchin machine, having, in combination, stitchorming devicesincluding a substantially stationary shuttle, and means for locking andreleasing the shuttle during each cycle of operation of saidstitch-forming devices.

29. A stitchin machine, having, incoinbination, stitchorming devicesincluding a crease between the needle While it is 1n substantiallystationary shuttle mounted for limited freedom of movement,-a take-up,and means for locking the shuttle against movement during thestitch-setting movement of the take-up and releasing the shut-' tleagain at a subsequent point in each cycle of operations of said stitchformin devices.

30. In an outsole stitchingmac ine, the combination of a throat piecehaving a relativelythin forward end shaped to enter the welt and upperof a shoe, said throat piece being provided with a needle passage nearits needle mounted to reciprocate into and out of said passage, andmeans for delivering a bight of needle thread to the hook of saidsaid'passage, said means being constructed and arranged to occupy, atsaid point of delivery, dimensions in the direction of width of the weltcrease of only substantially the diameter of the needle thread.

part of the upper, point of operation at an angle substantially greaterthan a right angle with roat piece lying immediately present a loop ofthread to forward end, a hook 31. In an outsole stitching machine, thecombination of a throat piece having a relatively thin forward endshaped to enter the crease between the welt and epper of a shoe,

said throat piece being provi e passage near its forward end, a .hookneedle mounted to reciprocate into andout of said passage, and means-fordelivering f bight of needle thread to the hook of the needle while itis in said pasage, said means comprising a looper movable in formed insai backwardly from forward end of said looper havi sions in thedirection-- of the widt ed with aneea ideway throat pieceand eiiiendingj said needle passage, the *dime'nof they 'welt crease of onlysubstantially the diamend and having a guidewayextending backwardly fromsaid needle passage, and a looper mounted to move backward and forwardin said guideway, said looper and ,throat piece being constructed; toprovide a space in said guldeway at one side of the looper through whichthe needle thread may be passed to thread the machine.

33. In an outsole stitching machine, the combination of a throat piece,havin a needle passage formed therein near its Y or-. ward end andhaving aguideway extending backwardly from said needle passage, and alooper mounted to move backward and forward in said ideway', said throatpiece having an opening extending across said guideway through threadmay be passed to thread the mac me. 1

34. In an outsole stitching machine, the

combination of a throat piece constructed to enter the crease betweenthe welt and upper of a shoe, said throat vided with a needle passagenear its forhaving a guideway leading passage, a hook needle mounted toreciprocate into and out of said passage, a looper movable forward andbackward in said guideway and operative to push a bight of needle threadforward to said passage and position'it for ment therewith of saidneedle, a' thread guiding finger, and mechanism for moving said fingeracross the path of movement of said looper to cause it to position thethread for engagement therewith by said looper, said mechanism beingoperative to move the finger backward in a path clear of the path ofmovement of said looper.

35. In an outsole stitching machine, the

piece being pro the engage combination of a throat piece constructed toenter the crease between the welt and Y upper of a shoe, said throatpiece being pro-.

vided with a needle passage near its forward end and having a guidewayleading ing said thread finger in timed relationship.

to the movements of said looper to cause the thread finger to positionthe thread for the engagement therewith of said looper and then to moveout of engagement with said thread and to return to its initial positionalong a path clearing said thread.

36. An outsole stitching machine, having, in combination, a throat pieceshaped to enter the crease between the welt and upper of a shoe andhaving a surface to support the welt, saidthroat piece beingprovidedwith a needle passage, a hook needle-mounted to reciprocateiinto and outof said passage, and means for delivering a bight of needle thread tosaid needle while it is in said passage, said means being constructedand arranged to maintain the portion of said bight of thread underlyingthe welt of the shoe being stitched substantially in a in and out of theV on the same 37. A stitching machine having, in com-- bination, an awland needle both mounted on the same side of the work for movement work,and means for giving said awl and needle an additional movement inunison in a direction transverse to the direction of feed of the-work toenable the needle to enter the hole formed in the work by the awl.

38. A stitching machine having, in combination, a throat plate having aneedle hole therein, an awl and needle both mounted side of the work forreciprocating movement into and out of the work, awl and needle barscarrying said awl and needle, respectively, means for reciprocating saidbars, and means for giving said bars an additional movement in adirection transverse to the direction of feed of the work to carry theawl and needle into and out 0 line with the needle I hole in said throatplate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES C. BLAKE.

